Children and Young People who Runaway or Go Missing from Home and Care

This practice guidance contains the overreaching principles, roles and responsibilities of all involved professionals and practitioners in responding to and managing episodes of children being missing from home or local authority care. Whether a child goes missing once or numerous times means they have done so for a particular reason. It is vital to treat each episode of running away as a fresh incident and explore the reasons for them going missing on each occasion.

This guidance should be followed with reference to the East Riding Safeguarding Children Partnership Runaway and Missing from Home or Care Protocol.

There are various terms which are used in relation to missing children:

Statutory Guidance on Children Who Run Away Or Go Missing From Home Or Care (January 2014) uses the following definitions:

Missing Child:
A child  reported as missing to the Police by their  family or carers.

Missing from Care:
A Looked After child who is not at their placement or the place they are expected to be (e.g. school) and their whereabouts are not known.

Away from Placement Without Authorisation:
A Looked After child whose whereabouts are known but who is not at their placement or the place they are expected to be and the carer has concerns or the incident has been notified to the local authority or the Police.

Young Runaway:
A child who has run away from their home or care placement, or feels they have been forced or lured to leave.

For the College of Policing definition of missing please click here.

The Police will assess the risks to any missing person using a continuum of risk which ranges from ‘no apparent risk (absent)’ through to high-risk cases that require immediate, intensive action.

Police officers will not be sent to cases where children / young people are defined as being at no apparent risk (absent). Instead in these situations the onus will be on care providers to take steps to locate the child / young person, with monitoring by the Police and regular review of the initial risk assessment. It is expected that all reasonable steps should be taken by care providers to locate the child / young person prior to making a report to the Police.

The local authority will:

• Ensure that a dedicated named manager is appointed with responsibilities for managing it’s “missing from care” protocols and procedures;
• Reporting information about patterns of absence among children who run away and are reported missing to the Director of Children, Families and Schools and to Councillors responsible for ‘corporate parenting’. This report will include an action plan with targets for minimising missing from care incidents and will also include:
  • Incidence of missing person’s episodes;
  • Location - are children more likely to go missing from some placements rather than others?
  • Where do they run?
  • Any safeguarding implications, e.g. children subject to a Child Protection Plan, Children in Care, Child Sexual Exploitation, Child Criminal Exploitation, likelihood of abduction, risk of Forced Marriage;
  • Actions when children return.
• Monitoring policies, procedures and performance relating to children missing from home.

The named Police posts have responsibility for:

• Improving links with local services for runaways;
• Developing specialist skills and knowledge about running away;
• Providing a more consistent and efficient response to runaways.

Determining risk is paramount when a child goes missing and is a major influence in establishing the actions within these guidelines. The overall aim is to manage missing episodes ensuring the most accurate and up to date information is passed to the relevant agencies.

The Police are often the first agency to be alerted that a child is missing, or has run away, but this information may be known first to any agency in contact with the child or their family, e.g. Education or the Health service. The child may inexplicably miss a health appointment, be absent from school or not attend other planned activities.

The reasons for the child’s going missing may not be initially apparent and may give rise for concern in circumstances other than when a child has run away from home, for example where a child has gone missing with their whole family or when they have not returned from a ‘holiday’ abroad. No assumptions should be made about the whereabouts of the child and unexplained absences should be followed up to establish the location of the child.

The action to be taken by any agency first becoming aware of the absence of a child from home will therefore be determined by the circumstances surrounding the absence and the degree of risk to the child.

Absences which cause concern are those where there is no indication that the child is likely to return within a short space of time or where there is an immediate concern for the child’s safety. The levels of concern will be dependant upon:

• The age of the child;
• The child having a disability which reduces their level of independence;
• The child suffering a medical condition which requires ongoing monitoring or treatment;
• The child’s behaviour, placing him/her or others at risk of injury or harm;
• The number of occasions a child runs away, e.g. three or more times in a twelve month period;
• Likelihood of the child suffering Significant Harm, for example because of neglect and/or physical, and/or sexual, and/or emotional abuse;
• Legal status of the child e.g. Child in Care;
• Parenting issues, e.g. parents substance misuse, persistent school non-attendance with parents knowledge and/or collusion, domestic abuse;
• Indicators of child sexual exploitation;
• Indicators that the child may have been taken out of the country to be married.

Risk factors that can contribute to children running away include:

• Poor parental supervision and discipline / neglect / parenting concerns;
• Family conflict;
• A family history of problem behaviour;
• Parental attitudes / involvement condoning problem behaviour;
• Low income and poor housing;
• Domestic abuse / child abuse;
• Parental substance / alcohol misuse;
• Parental mental health / learning difficulty needs;
• Home alone;
• Other child in family with a disability (impacting on parental capacity);
• Homelessness or unsuitable living environment;
• Victims of crime / bullying / racism / emotional / homophobic abuse;
• Mental health concerns;
• Child Sexual Exploitation.

The immediate risks associated with running away include:

• No means of support or legitimate income leading to high risk activities;
• Involvement in criminal activities;
• Victims of crime, e.g. through sexual assault and exploitation;
• Alcohol / substance misuse;
• Deterioration of physical and mental health;
• Missing out on education;
• Forced marriage.

Longer term risks include:

• Long-tem drug / alcohol dependency;
• Crime;
• Homelessness and sleeping rough;
• Increased risk of self-harm;
• Isolation from peer group, siblings and own community;
• Deterioration in academic achievement;
• Deterioration in self care / personal hygiene;
• Deterioration in future employment opportunities;
• Social exclusion.

It must always be borne in mind that a child may be running away from an abusive situation where they live. It is recognised that all those who work with young runaways may be presented with complex safeguarding situations. It is therefore vital that all staff and practitioners have an appropriate understanding of and access to safeguarding children procedures, have received appropriate training, are properly supervised and know where to access advice and support.

All agencies have a responsibility to work together to meet the needs of children in need of protection whether this be as a result of neglect, emotional harm, sexual or physical abuse and/or sexual exploitation. When responding to the needs of young runaways, the East Riding Runaway and Missing from Home or Care Protocol is there to inform and guide all staff as well as to protect young people and staff alike.

Professionals working with children where there are outstanding child protection concerns must always consider that unusual non-school attendance, missed appointments or abortive health appointments may indicate that the family has moved out of the area. This possibility must also be considered when there are concerns about an unborn child.

The East Riding Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures and Guidance will be implemented if a child in the following circumstances goes missing or cannot be traced:

• A child who is the subject of a Section 47 Enquiry;
• A child subject to a Child Protection Plan who goes missing or is removed from his/her address outside the terms of the Child Protection Plan;
• A Child in Care who leaves or is removed from placement, without this being part of the Care Plan;
• Any child known to a statutory agency who goes missing in suspicious circumstances or about whom there are concerns.

These procedures also apply to adults whose whereabouts become unknown in the following circumstances:

• A pregnant woman when there are concerns about the child following birth;
• A family where there are concerns about the welfare of the child because of the presence of a person posing a risk to children or other person previously suspected of harming a child.

• Humberside Police will have their internal documentation and electronic management system to support the process within their workplace;
• The Police will ensure that every case involving a child going missing is considered for referral to East Riding Children’s Social Care for a Single Assessment or, if necessary, for enquiries to be made under S17 if the Children Act 1989;
• The Police have a responsibility for maintaining open and regular communication between Children’s Social Care staff and themselves until the child is found;
• Police should not return a child to the place where she/he went missing without notification / consultation with the Social Worker or EDT if there are any child protection concerns. Child protection concerns would be taken through the same Child Protection route as for any other child, via a referral through the Customer Service Centre (or the EDT if out of hours). However, the added vulnerability of Children in Care will be recognised and concerns referred via the relevant Family Support / Children in Care Team;
• In line with recommendations from the North Wales Enquiry, a log of all notifications of a child missing from children’s homes should be kept at Police Stations and made accessible, when required to Children’s Social Care staff;
• There will be reviews concerning the viability of these guidelines with Senior Officers (Service Manager and above) and the Police, when required;
• The Police will attend quarterly meetings to scrutinise records and ascertain whether there are patterns of children going missing from Care which raise concerns either for individual children or specific establishments;
• Concerns for establishments should be brought to the attention of the Responsible Person for East Riding Children’s Homes, currently the Service Manager.

If following the above procedures the child has not been traced within 48 hours the Head of Service, of Children’s Social Care is to be notified and he/she will make a decision as to whether to inform the Director, of Children, Families and Schools. A Strategy Meeting will be held within 7 days of senior officers and other appropriate staff from Children’s Social Care and the Police.

The relevant Head of Children’s Services and Senior Police Officers will therefore review episodes of absence lasting 11 weeks and thereafter at 12 weekly intervals until the child’s safety is ascertained.

All files will remain live until the person is traced or the Divisional Commander is satisfied that all lines of inquiry have been exhausted. The Assistant Chief Constable will take the decision to file or otherwise. If the decision is made to file, the Force Intelligence Bureau will bring the file forward for review by the Detective Superintendent 12 months after the file date. Cases where the missing person returns but the Police are unable to see and speak to the individual can only be closed on the authority of a superintendent. Cases where the person is not found remain indefinitely on the missing person’s data base and are subject to yearly reviews.

Throughout the steps outlined in this guidance and within own Agency procedures a full record must be kept of all actions taken and all decision-making with the decision-makers being clearly identified. This includes the giving and receiving of messages. Both Children’s Social Care and the Police must keep these records.

Children’s Social Care will provide comprehensive information on any missing child known to them to enable all risk factors to be considered. This should include a photograph where possible. Photographs can be obtained from parents and schools if the child is Looked After. The Police may need to circulate the missing child’s description. In addition:

• There will be a need for regular liaison and communication at least once every 24 hours between Children’s Social Care Staff and the Police until the child is found. Open and full communication is vital in ensuring the welfare of the child;
• It is for the Police (at Divisional Commander level or his deputy) to advise the media of a child missing from the care of the local authority. A decision to involve the media will be made in consultation with Children’s Social Care (Head of Service or above) and with prior warning to the child’s family. The Police have ultimate responsibility for the decision to contact the media;
• Police will report to Children’s Social Care when the child is found and will ascertain whether a child is to be returned to the home address. If the child refuses the Police will inform Children’s Social Care accordingly;
• All files will remain live until the person is traced or the Divisional Commander is satisfied that all lines of inquiry have been exhausted. The Assistant Chief Constable will take the decision to file or otherwise. If the decision is made to file, the Force Intelligence Bureau will bring the file forward for review by the Detective Superintendent 12 months after the file date. Cases where the missing person returns but the Police are unable to see and speak to the individual can only be closed on the authority of a superintendent. Cases where the person is not found remain indefinitely on the missing person’s data base and are subject to yearly reviews.

If the child is not previously known to Children’s Social Care the Police will contact the local authority if there are concerns under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989. Children’s Social Care, in consultation with parents and the Police, should plan for what will happen next.

The discussion around planning for the return of the child may consider the powers of the Safeguarding Team and the Police to enforce a return if the child resists. This may include, in specific circumstances, the local authority applying for the use of a Recovery Order. The Council’s Legal services must be consulted if such a course is actively considered.

When a child is found or returns the following should be considered:

• Will the child return to the previous accommodation (this may depend on what the child has to say about why he/she went missing)?
• How will she/he be taken back?
• Do the Police wish to speak to the child prior to the return to the accommodation?
• Who will be an appropriate person to speak to the child when he/she is found?
  • For Children in Care, an Independent Return Interview should be offered;
  • A referral to either Children’s Social Care if under 13 or the Integrated Youth Support Service if over 13 should be offered to conduct the debrief session;
  • Other age appropriate relevant professionals, such as workers from Education Welfare Service, METAS, School Nurse should also be considered as part of the debrief process.
• When the child is found, consideration should be given to medical issues and any medical assessment or treatment necessary should be given;
• All relevant parties should be informed (depending on who found the child or if they returned of their own volition), including family, Children’s Social Care, Police, the residential home / Foster care, the school and others as appropriate;
  
  When found or returned the child should be encouraged to explain:
  • The reasons they were missing;
  • The location they went to;
  • Who they were with;
  • Whether they have been the victim of a crime;
  • Whether they have committed a crime;
  • If they have any concerns or worries.
• When found the child will also be given the opportunity to make a complaint (if appropriate) and be provided with information regarding the local advocacy service provision;
• Consultation may reveal child protection concerns. Such concerns would be taken through the same child protection route as for any other child via a referral through the Customer Service Centre or EDT if out of office hours. However, the added vulnerability of Children in Care will be recognised and referred through the relevant service;

Independent Return Interview for Children in Care

• An Independent Return Interview should be carried out by an independent professional (e.g. a social worker, teacher, health professional or Police officer, who does not usually work with the child and is trained to carry out these interviews). Children sometimes need to build up trust with a person before they will discuss in depth the reasons why they ran away.
  • The person conducting the interview should usually be independent of the child’s placement and of the responsible local authority. An exception maybe where a child has a strong relationship with a carer or social worker and has expressed a preference to talk to them, rather than an independent person, about the reasons they went missing;
  • The responsible local authority should ensure the Return Interview takes place, working closely with the host authority where appropriate. Contact should be made with the child within 72 hours of them being located or returning from absence, to arrange an Independent Return Interview in a neutral place where they feel safe;
  • Where a Child in Care has run away they should have the opportunity to talk, before they return to their placement, to a person who is independent of their placement about the reasons they went missing. The child should be offered the option of speaking to an independent representative or advocate.

Issues around the inability to guarantee confidentiality will have been discussed with the child before the interview. Any concerns raised in the interview about possible abuse will be referred to Children’s Social Care and the Police in accordance with East Riding Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures and Guidance. The child will have been made aware of this as a possible course of action during the discussion around confidentiality.

Risk Assessments

Appendix 1: LAC Missing from Care Risk Assessment - Part I

Appendix 2: LAC Missing from Care Absence Report Part 2